Since Juan Mata arrived at United, has scored 17 goal, assisted 10 times and created 108 goal opportunities in just 55 Premier Leagues matches. This numbers place him as one of the best players in the competition.
Away from the disscusion about Mata´s position on the pitch, his numbers still catching the eye of the media. Since his arrival to Manchester in January 2014, Mata has taken direct part in 27 goals. Scoring 17 goals and assisting 10 times in55 Premier League matches. No othe United player equals his numbers in the period of time. Just Rooney and Van Persie are ahead of him in goals scored.
Many people does not uderstand why Van Gaal puts him on the wing, but the truth is he is more active playing in the right wing. In this season he has created 13 scoring opportunities (7 more than Rooney, who´s next on the list) and has attempted the goal in 14 occasions (only Depay surpass him). In these 55 Premier League games, he has created 108 goal opportunities (almost 2 per game).
About the supposed defensive weakness of Mata, the numbers clears it all up. Last season he won 24 tackles, while in this season he already has six and ten interceptions. His progression has been fantastic since his Chelsea departure. In the 2012-13 season won 14 tackles, a statistic that Mata has well exceeded at ManU.
Juan has the right to feel one of the best attacking player in the Premier. Compare to Özil, Silva, Coutinho and Fabregas, players with a similar role than Mata, the numbers are conclusive. This season, Juan has scored two goals (more than any of them) and two assists (only Silva is above him). Besides, Juan is just behind Özil creating chances with 13. Normal that Jamie Redknapp wrote a few days ago that “must be a dream player to play football with”.
